II. Field trials on kiwifruit and Japanese plums

Abstract

Pollen suspended in aqueous media was sprayed on to Japanese plum and kiwifruit flowers to improve fruit set and fruit size. Supplementary pollination of Black Doris plums using 0.25 and 2.5 mg pollen per ml of medium set as many flowers as hand-pollination using dry pollen but similar experiments on Mariposa plums using Doris pollen were not effective. Kiwifruit pollen applied at 1.0 mg per ml suspension medium to Hayward kiwifruit flowers increased fruit set and fruit size, particularly when pollination by honey bees was inadequate. Lower or higher concentrations were not as effective as 1.0 mg per ml. The use of supplementary pollination in commercial orchards is discussed.

Keywords:

• spray pollination
• Actinidia chinensis
• Prunus salicina
• pollen concentration
• fruit set
• fruit size